By ABBY GROFF
Staff Writer
Teachers in public schools for the past couple of weeks have been overwhelmed by an online trend encouraging students to steal absurd items from their classrooms or campuses. Items such as fire extinguishers, soap dispensers, staplers, and even lockers have been stolen in attempts to gain Internet clout.
As of today, September 17th, all search results for “Devious Licks” have been blocked on the commonly used social media platform, TikTok. Searching for videos under the trend will result in a message from the app stating that “this phrase may be associated with behavior or content that violates our guidelines” due to the growing backlash from teachers around the United States. Schools in Visalia Unified School District have been hit pretty hard by it as well with bathrooms at El Diamante frequently being closed for maintenance. Unfortunately, for those not participating, this means bathroom privileges are being taken away.
The trend started some weeks ago (the original video has been lost because of TikTok’s censorship) with students from unknown locations taking a soap dispenser, and another user later dueting the video showing off their stolen microscope. It has since escalated to the point where kids are trying to one-up each other’s “licks” by taking items that appear more and more difficult to gain. The last video I saw of this challenge was an entire set of lockers outside of a school building. Whether or not the video was real, it has still had a negative impact on schools everywhere, challenging students to take or vandalize others’ property.
With the trend quickly becoming viral, more schools have had to make a statement regarding the issues surrounding it. Now it’s become almost sort of a separate trend just to get administrators to announce what’s been going on over the school’s intercom. More videos on TikTok have been surfacing where principals, learning directors, etc. appear upset (rightfully so) with the students, making it very clear that replacing their items is an expensive process. Some schools, even, have had to offer rewards of $100+ to those who will reveal the names or footage of kids participating.
Schools have always experienced trouble with vandalism. Now, with social media urging some students to take part in the trend, the issue has skyrocketed. If you go to school, I personally can almost guarantee that you were aware of this subject before going into this article. It’s important that families and teachers communicate with their students that every action has consequences. Many teachers in America are also paying for their supplies from their own pockets, so the students’ “devious licks” have personally affected them financially. Our teachers work hard to ensure our safety and education: is this how we repay them?